Indian stream·Tao Te Ching·Chapter 44 — Fame or Self
Fame or self — which is more dear?
Fame or self — which is more dear? Self or possessions — which more valuable? Gain or loss — which more painful? Therefore: excessive love brings great cost; hoarding leads to great loss. Knowing contentment, one avoids disgrace; knowing when to stop, one avoids danger.
Source context
- Theme
- sufficiency of inner contentment over external acquisition and reputation
- Soul-faculty
- Consciousness Soul
Steiner
not engaged in the GA corpus
Cross-tradition
- Vedanta / AdvaitaThe Vedantic concept of santosha (contentment) and the distinction between atman and the accumulations of the empirical self parallels the chapter's assertion that knowing what is enough (zhi zu) constitutes true wealth.
- Stoic philosophyEpictetan Stoicism distinguishes between what is 'up to us' (prohairesis) and external goods, structurally congruent with Chapter 44's contrast between inner sufficiency and attachment to name or possessions.
- Buddhist renunciation doctrineThe Buddhist teaching that craving (tanha) is the root of suffering and that release lies in non-attachment shows cross-tradition congruence with the chapter's counsel that the one who knows sufficiency does not come to harm.
Chapter 44
Or fame or life, Which do you hold more dear? Or life or wealth, To which would you adhere? Keep life and lose those other things; Keep them and lose your life:--which brings Sorrow and pain more near?
Thus we may see, Who cleaves to fame Rejects what is more great; Who loves large stores Gives up the richer state.
Who is content Needs fear no shame. Who knows to stop Incurs no blame. From danger free Long live shall he.